Denied entry to RSS office, Vyapam whistle-blower cries foul

Vyapam whistle-blower Ashish Chaturvedi on Thursday claimed he was denied entry to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh headquarters here for not complying with its instructions to not mention the names of Sangh and BJP leaders in the scam.

Ashish Chaturvedi who claims to be an RSS volunteer told Hindustan Times that he had never faced such situation before. (HT file photo)

Vyapam whistle-blower Ashish Chaturvedi on Thursday claimed he was denied entry to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh headquarters here for not complying with its instructions to not mention the names of Sangh and BJP leaders in the scam.

But the Sangh rubbished Chaturvedi’s claim in a terse statement. “Nobody by the name of Ashish Chaturvedi reached the RSS office on Thursday,” RSS karyalaya pramukh Suresh Jain told HT on phone.

Chaturvedi who claims to be an RSS volunteer told Hindustan Times that he had never faced such situation before. But Sangh volunteers, he claimed, on Thursday told him that they had been instructed not to allow him to enter the premises.

“They can allow the Vyapam accused to enter the premises but not me,” he added. “I have been staying in the state office for long but the day I started taking the names of BJP and RSS leaders involved in the Vyapam scam, RSS leaders started mounting pressure on me for not taking the names. As I didn’t comply with their instructions, they have started maintaining distance from me,” he said.

“First, I was asked not to participate in the shakha and path sanchalan. Now, they have stopped me from entering the office. When I tried to contact kshetra prachark Arun Jain, he didn’t receive my call and even refused to meet me,” he added.

“I joined the RSS because I felt its ideology promoted patriotism and a corruption free environment. But when I am following it religiously, why they have problem with me?” Chaturvedi asked.

The social activist claimed he had dedicated some years as a ‘vistarak’ of the Sangh. “Can they return the time I spent with the organization?” Chaturvedi asked.

On Monday, Jain had told HT that the Sangh supported Ashish Chaturvedi as he had exposed the scam. But despite repeated attempts, Jain couldn’t be contacted after the social activist made the statement.

Asked why he was not registering his statement before the Gwalior district court in connection with the Vypam scam, Chauturvedi said the government had made a joke of his security issue.

“I have been provided security on papers only. If they can’t provide proper security to me, they should withdraw it. Security personnel never saved me from any attack. They always stand with me as eyewitnesses and not as security personnel,” he asserted.